I grew up in Massachusettsand figured it would be fun to rent a car and drive past my old housesespecially since the foliage was supposed to be pretty in those parts of the state.

I’m a sucker for red, yellow, and orange leavesand those just don’t happen in Houston.

We were to leave on Friday morning and stay through Monday evening.

It almost worked out that way.

We missed our flight on Friday.Well. They wouldnt let us board the planebut that’s not the point of this entry.

I am watching my mailbox for vouchers thoughbecause you better believe got all up in Continental’s business after having to deal with the GATE GUARDIAN IN REDand customer service WHICH WAS NOT SO CUSTOMER SERVICEABLE.

::huffs and puffs::

Onwards.

We spent most of our Friday sulking in IAH and arrived in Boston too late to really do anything.

It was about to start rainingand to top it all off I thought my eardrum ruptured on landing.

Luckily this turned out not to be the casebut it still hurt tremendouslyand I couldnt hear out of it for about ten hours.

I concluded that the only way the day could get better was to end itso I went to sleep while Husband frolicked at the first night of his conference.

The next dayit was still rainingHub went back to the conferenceand I was left to figure out what to do.

With all the rainI decided that renting a car was not going to happen.

Getting around in Boston proper was a little crazyand I wasnt comfortable driving around on unfamiliar highways in a rental carespecially in the downpour.

Instead I picked up from where I left off on researching Boston restaurantsand decided to try Marliave.

I made reservations on Opentable.comand commented that I would like to do a three course mealchef’s choicewith the only restriction being no seafood.

I don’t like seafood.I’ve tried and tried to like itbut it all tastes disgusting to me.

I’ve had fresh seafood of all typesand no matter how hard I try to fall in love with itit always tastes like something at the bottom of a freshwater fish tank to me.

Say what you willbut thats how I roll.

I made reservations for 1:30pand when I got therethe hostess didn’t seem to be aware of my reservation.

The hostess asked where I would like to siteither upstairs or downstairsand I chose upstairs for the light.

In the upstairs dining roomthere were only two other tables with patronsboth of which were paying their checks.

The server came by and introduced herself and asked if I’d like a drink or anything to start with.

I guess no one was aware of my reservation or request.
I asked if I could do a three course meal chefs choice(sans seafood)and she looked a little confused.

“Like… appetizer, main, dessert?““Yes, that would be great.”“Ok, let me go check with the chef.”

She came back a few moments laterand by that time the two other tables were gone.

“The chef says that’s no problem.”

So it began.

Standard nibble delivered to all tables.

Bread panfried in olive oilwith olive oiland olives.

It was a bit olive-yif I do say so myself.

1st course:

Duck rilletes with brioche toast and apples.

I thought the rilletes were a little muddy tasting on their ownbut when put together with the apples and mustard or brined itemsthey were quite good.

The caperberry was best with the duck however,and I would have been happy for a few more of those on the plate.

2nd course:

‘Hand-stuffed’ ravioli in roasted tomato sauce.

I could tell the ravioli were made earlier in the day because the edges were a little toughbut the tomato sauce and filling were outstanding.

I thought this was my main course at firstand was a little bummed that they forgot about the wine pairingbut it dawned on me halfway throughthat this was the pasta courseand this was going to be a four-course meal.

I began to pace myself accordingly.

Sure enoughthe server cleared my plateand set down a big steak knife and new fork.

The only downside of this dish was that the salt in the pancetta took away some of the thunder from the rabbit loin.It was just a little too much.

The wine that was paired with the entree was(at least what the sever said)a 1994 California Cabernet.

I can’t find that on their wine menuso the world may never know.

I am not a huge wine drinkerbut enjoy a glass when it is paired properly with foodand such was the case at this meal.

4th course:

Pumpkin pie with cranberry relish

The pumpkin pie was straight out of the fridgeand I like mine better.

The cranberry relish was very good though.

I appreciated the fact that the chef let the tartness of the berries play a role in the dessert instead of trying to make the whole thing sweet sweet sweet.

After I managed to eat almost all of the dessertI asked for the check.

Between the time the server cleared my plate and brought me the billChef Scott Herritt came out to see what I thought of the meal.

I was struck by the fact that he was wearing a perfectly starched and unwrinkled blue shirtand all I could think was that he kept that in a closet somewherespecifically for occasions when some random chick comes in alone and orders a massive lunch.

SOMETHING’S UP AND REQUIRES FORMAL ATTIRE.

He spent only a few moments at the table(literally. Like five seconds)but I remarked upon the cranberry relishand also that I loved the caperberry with the duck rilletes.

He looked at me warily and smiled,said he was glad I liked it and thanked me for coming in.

When I got the billI saw they comped me one coursewhich was niceand fairsince I only asked for three.

During the mealI wasn’t sure if I needed to say something“Scuse me, am I supposed to be getting four courses? I only asked for three… BUT DON’T TAKE IT AWAY! I LOVE THESE RAVIOLI!”or leave it beand I opted for the latterwaiting to see how they would handle it.

That being saidI was something between touched and flattered that the chef would want to share his work with someone that walked in and said “give me what you think is best.”

That or he thought I was a restaurant criticand was trying to ply me with as much excellent food as I could eat.

I’ll take it either waythank you very muchbecause it was quite delicious.

What a wonderful meal; the presentation was gorgeous. The chef probably did think you were a food critic. I have gone into a Indian restaurant and asked for the chef’s choice but I’ve never done it as a single diner. I think I will try that sometime!